Such treatment devices, typically, are cleaning devices for cleaning, for example, the video head and drum of a video recorder and/or playback unit or a camcorder unit. In such units the video head and video drum are located spaced apart from the cassette receiving area, and a magnetic tape which is wound between a pair of spools in a tape cassette housing is engaged in the cassette receiving area. A plurality of guide rollers are moveable within the unit for withdrawing the magnetic tape from the tape cassette housing for urging the tape into cooperating engagement with the video head and drum for recording onto the tape or playing therefrom. Such video playback and/or recorder units and camcorder units will be well known to those skilled in the art.
Various types of cleaning devices are available for cleaning components, and in particular, the video head and drum of such units. In general, such cleaning devices comprise a housing which is substantially similar to a conventional magnetic tape cassette housing, and either a cleaning tape or a brush or both are located in the housing for cleaning the video head and drum and/or other components of the unit.
In cleaning devices which comprise a cleaning tape, the cleaning tape may be wound between a pair of spools which are similar to those onto which the magnetic tape of a conventional magnetic tape cassette is wound. The cleaning tape is urged from the cassette housing by the guide rollers into cleaning engagement with the video head and drum.
In cleaning devices which comprise a brush, the brush is, in general, mounted on a carrier arm, and the carrier arm is pivotal from a rest position with the carrier arm and the brush located adjacent or within the housing, to a cleaning position with the brush in engagement with the video head and drum for cleaning thereof.
In cleaning devices which comprise a combination of a cleaning tape and a cleaning brush carried on a carrier arm and located in a housing, the carrier arm and cleaning brush are urged into cleaning engagement with the video head and drum as the cleaning tape is being urged into cleaning engagement with the video head and drum by the guide rollers.
Cleaning devices for cleaning the video head and drum, and other components in a video playback and/or recorder unit are disclosed in European Patent Specifications Nos. EP-A-0,439,375 and EP-A-0,210,787. The cleaning device disclosed in EP-A-0,439,375 comprises a cleaning brush which is carried on a carrier arm, both of which are located in a housing of the device when in the rest position. A cleaning tape is not provided in this cleaning device. A drive transmission mechanism is located within the housing, and is cooperable with a spindle in the cassette receiving area of the unit for urging the carrier arm and cleaning brush into a cleaning position with the cleaning brush in cleaning engagement with the video head and drum. The cleaning device disclosed in EP-A-0,210,787 comprises a cleaning tape, and a cleaning brush which is carried on a carrier arm, all of which are located within a housing of the device in the rest position. The cleaning tape cooperates with the carrier arm for urging the carrier arm outwardly of the housing, and in turn the cleaning brush into cleaning engagement with the video head and drum as the cleaning tape is also being urged into cleaning engagement with the video head and drum.
The cleaning devices disclosed in EP-A-0,439,375 and EP-A-0,210,787 function quite adequately. However, there are cleaning devices which comprise a cleaning brush and carrier arm which require the carrier arm to be set in the rest position by the user prior to insertion into the video or other unit, and if the carrier arm is not adequately set by the user in the rest position, and retained therein, when the cleaning device is being loaded into the cassette receiving area, the carrier arm may move just sufficiently out of the rest position towards the cleaning position to become inadvertently engaged with the guide rollers as they are being operated in the mode for withdrawing a tape from a cassette housing. This may cause damage to the carrier arm of the cleaning device, and more importantly may cause damage to one or more of the guide rollers and/or other components and elements of the video unit. Indeed, this problem can arise with cleaning devices in which the carrier arm is automatically set in the rest position, but may become disengaged from the rest position prior to or during insertion into the video or other unit.
There is therefore a need for a cleaning device for a camcorder, and/or a video playback and/or recorder unit which overcomes these problems, and since the problem of inadvertent release of a carrier arm from a housing may arise in other devices for carrying out other treatments of a component in a camcorder and/or a video playback and/or recorder unit, or indeed, in any other playback and/or recorder unit, whether video, audio, data or the like, there is a need for a treatment device for treating a component of such a unit which overcomes these problems.
The present invention is directed towards providing such a treatment device.